Shirley Chisholm was an American politician, educator, and author. She was a Congresswoman, representing New York's 12th Congressional District for seven terms from 1969 to 1983. In 1968, she became the first African-American woman elected to Congress.

Shirley was born in Brooklyn, New York, to immigrant parents from the Caribbean region. She had three younger sisters. Their father, Charles Christopher St. Hill, was born in British Guiana and arrived in the United States via Antilla, Cuba, on April 10, 1923, aboard the S.S. Munamar in New York City.

Their mother, Ruby Seale, was born in Christ Church, Barbados, and arrived in New York City aboard the S.S. Pocone on March 8, 1921. Her father worked in a factory that made burlap bags, and her mother was a seamstress and domestic worker.

Beginning in 1939, Shirley attended Girls' High School in the Bedford–Stuyvesant neighborhood of Brooklyn, a highly regarded, integrated school that attracted girls from throughout Brooklyn. She earned her Bachelor of Arts from Brooklyn College in 1946, where she won prizes for her debating skills. She was a member of the Delta Sigma Theta sorority.

She met Conrad O. Chisholm in the late 1940s. He had come to the U.S. from Jamaica in 1946 and would later become a private investigator who specialized in negligence-based lawsuits. They married in 1949 in a large West Indian-style wedding.

Chisholm was a Democratic member of the New York State Assembly from 1965 to 1968, sitting in the 175th, 176th and 177th New York State Legislatures. Her successes in the legislature included getting unemployment benefits extended to domestic workers.

Her campaign slogan was "Unbought and unbossed". In the June 18, 1968, Democratic primary, Chisholm defeated two other black opponents, State Senator William S. Thompson and labor official Dollie Robertson. In the general election, she staged an upset victory over James L. Farmer, Jr., the former director of the Congress of Racial Equality.

Chisholm thereby became the first black woman elected to Congress.

In August 1968, she was elected as the Democratic National Committeewoman from New York State.

In the 1972 U.S. presidential election, she made a bid for the Democratic Party's presidential nomination. She began exploring her candidacy in July 1971 and formally announced it on January 25, 1972, in a Baptist church in her district in Brooklyn. There she called for a "bloodless revolution" at the forthcoming Democratic nomination convention.

In particular, she expressed frustration about the "black matriarch thing," saying, "They think I am trying to take power from them. The black man must step forward, but that doesn't mean the black woman must step back." Her husband, however, was fully supportive of her candidacy and said, "I have no hangups about a woman running for president.

The audacity of Shirley Chisholm! What self-esteem this woman had! She faced multiple obstacles in her bid for the President of the United States, being a woman and black.

Did that stop her? No, it made her stronger. I keep telling my people we come from some of the finest stock known to humanity, and Shirley is a perfect example of this. We honor our sister's memory with the 2004 Hamite Award for shining her bright light of optimism, so all could follow.

After leaving Congress, Chisholm made her home in Williamsville, New York. Chisholm died on January 1, 2005, in Ormond Beach near Daytona Beach, after suffering several strokes.

Shirley Chisholm
photo #109-yr-1972

Shirley Chisholm Congresswoman from New York, looking at list of numbers posted on a wallphoto #102-yr-2004

For the year 2004:

Phylicia Rashad was the first African-American to win Broadway theater's Tony Award for Best Lead Actress in a Play

Charlie Sifford was the first African-American inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame

Tommie Smith and John Carlos
Three Proud People mural in Newtown
photo #109

DID YOU KNOW?

Ever wonder how the term "African American" came into existence? After the civil rights movement, blacks felt the need for a more accurate term to describe the race than colored or Negro, which was associated with much pain and suffering. In the late 1960s, and early 1970s, blacks no longer approved of the term Negro. In its experimental stages, the term Afro-American was used for a while but didn't last. Later the Black Power movement made us feel proud using black as the term in describing our race.

The song, "Say It Loud – I'm Black and I'm Proud" by James Brown became an unofficial anthem of the Black Power movement. But it wasn't until the 1980s the term African American was advanced on the model of, for example, German-American or Irish-American to give descendants of American slaves and other American blacks who lived through the slavery era a heritage and a cultural base. The term was popularized in black communities around the country via word of mouth and ultimately received mainstream use after Jesse Jackson publicly used the term in front of a national audience. Subsequently, major media outlets adopted its use.

2004

Charles Luther Sifford
photo #107-yr-1922

Barry Bondsphoto #101-yr-1994

Sports in 2004

For his contributions to golf, Charles Luther Sifford was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2004.

September 17, 2004 - Baseball great Barry Bonds connects with his 700th career home run.

DID YOU KNOW?

Ever wonder how the soul-food revolution began? It became a popular term in the 1960's.
Slave ships with their cargo of slaves traveled from West Africa to North America with foods that were native to African soil. It was the ship's captain best interest to keep slaves alive and healthy by feeding them these foods for their long transatlantic voyage. Some of these foods native to Africa are black-eyed peas, rice, yams, peanuts and don't forget the infamous watermelon. Once here in America, slaves were allowed to grow these foods and along with the scraps the master would give them during 'ration times' (sometimes meat) is what laid the foundation for soul-food.

Shortly after slavery, blacks were thrown into prison for petty and minor offenses which resulted in long sentences. It was big business for the penitentiary because they would hire these convicts out for various jobs and keep blacks off the streets at the same time. They killed two birds with one stone.

It was a form of bondage that did not last a lifetime and did not automatically extend from one generation to the next. But it was nonetheless slavery – a system in which armies of free men, guilty of no crimes and entitled by law to freedom, were compelled to labor without compensation, were repeatedly bought and sold, and were forced to do the bidding of white masters through the regular application of extraordinary physical coercion.

This form of slavery was abolished by President Franklin D. Roosevelt December 12, 1941.

Is the criminal justise system much different today?

President Richard Nixon started the modern day Law and Order campaign of the War on Drugs. President Ronald Reagan would continue with the program in his administration and later President Bill Clinton during his term created tough mandatory sentencing that unfairly affected blacks.

Crack cocaine was associated with poor blacks because it was a cheap drug and in contrast with powder cocaine which was considered a white man's drug because it was more expensive. Neither drug was more deadly than the other but crack was demonized because it was associated with black people.

While a person found with five grams of crack cocaine faced a five-year mandatory minimum prison sentence, a person holding powder cocaine could receive the same sentence only if he or she held five hundred grams. Similarly, those carrying ten grams of crack cocaine faced a ten-year mandatory sentence, while possession of one thousand grams of powder cocaine was required for the same sentence to be imposed.

Don't get it wrong, these were very well ORGANIZED methods from anti-Americans in control of our country to hold blacks down and is very well documented. It seems these anti-Americans are always reinventing themselves in ways of oppressing black citizens. Perhaps they should show some love for a change instead of acting on their imagined fear.

Check these statistics out

One of every three black American males born today can expect to go to prison in his lifetime. While black defendants account for roughly 80% of those arrested for crack-related offenses, public health data has found that two-thirds of crack cocaine users are white or Hispanic. The leading cause of incarceration of an African American male is a non-violent drug offense. Most black men in prisons are not monsters but just got caught up in the system for a non-violent mistake they may have made.

These stats are for the years 1970 - 2010

1 in every 106 White males age 18 or older is incarcerated

1 in every 36 Hispanic males age 18 or older is incarcerated

1 in every 15 Black males age 18 or older is incarcerated

We have to help our own black boys because nobody else cares. Wouldn't it be nice if today's blacks possessed the same gumption our African American ancestors had by taking control of our own destiny as a race of people? It seems ever since the end of slavery we are constantly pointing out to the white man how unfair and unjust he has treated us. Don't you think he knows that? What do we expect them to do, start crying and say I'm sorry and start treating us like fellow Americans by sharing freely? Don't hold your breath.

At this point in history, it's clear we must begin to work on ourselves more than anything else. We've probably gone just about as far as we can go with the protesting/marching strategy which was an excellent choice over the decades, but now it's time for action on our part. MLK would have likely said the same thing.

A very unpopular message for many blacks who live with the self-pity attitude but the only avenue available for American success. Can you imagine how much it would lift our race if every single black boy possessed a college degree? It's a dream that could become a reality if we really believed it.

Education plays the major role in American success for blacks and any group of blacks in a position of authority such as sports figures, entertainers, singers, etc that teaches the opposite by their examples we should run away from them as fast as possible. Sadly, these groups are the ones that many blacks look up to for guidance instead of our black educators.

When one of us climbs the very difficult and racist ladder of success in the American power structure by using our God-given brain power we will not forget about those we left behind, but instead will help other blacks do the same by extending a hand until we find ourselves in a position of directing instead of always asking and begging.

Our ancestors knew we could do it and we have to believe it too. We are from some of the strongest and finest stock that is known to mankind and should set the example for all dark skinned people over the entire earth simply because we are in a position to do so and live in the greatest country in the world. Our story is one of the greatest ever told. We are AmazingBlacks.

HOW LONG WILL GOOD WHITE-AMERICANS SIT ON THE FENCE?

Since the beginning of American history, there's always been a fight between good and bad. The problem is that both good and bad forces claim to adore democracy. Someone is lying. You be the judge.

First, we need to define democracy and we'll let two of America's greatest Presidents do this for us by their actions and famous quotes.

Abraham Lincoln made the following quotes:

"As I would not be a slave, so I would not be a master. This expresses my idea of democracy. Whatever differs from this to the extent of the difference, is no democracy."

"I have no purpose to introduce political and social equality between the white and the black races.... But I hold that ... there is no reason in the world why the negro is not entitled to all the natural rights enumerated in the Declaration of Independence, the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness."

Now it's very clear from the many biased comments Abraham Lincoln made against black people he wasn't the type that would have blacks over for dinner, in fact, most whites shared his views many years ago. But that's okay, at least he was honest. This site believes he would have changed his racist views if living in our time because one of his most admirable qualities was flexibility.

In contrast to Abraham Lincoln, the first President of the United States, George Washington didn't share Lincoln's view of democracy.

Black slaves were actively sought and recruited to fight for America in the Revolutionary War and promised citizenship after the victory. It's well recorded that slaves fought with courage and valor that ensured American success. George Washington himself made the comment:

Washington wrote a letter to Colonel Henry Lee III stating that success in the war would come to whatever side could arm the blacks the fastest.

But after victory in the war, America didn't keep it promises, and most blacks were forced back into slavery. Of course, George Washington had to know about this but did nothing. Washington was a brilliant soldier but failed as an upholder of truth and justice and set the tone for future race relations in our country by trivializing and compromising real Democracy.

Washington had many slaves himself and didn't want to free them and damage his financial stake. He put money interests ahead of real Democracy. But all of America's founders didn't feel this way. A contemporary of Washington and future President John Adams hated slavery and was proud to boast he handled his business with paid workers. Did George Washington look at himself in the mirror and feel guilty about compromising (true) American Democracy? History says he didn't.

Washington created the blueprint for this distorted view of true Democracy

Blacks in the colonies had been treated poorly since their arrival from Africa, but this action by Washington made it official. This blueprint became the norm in much of America's dealings with black people. Whites felt if their supreme leader thought so lowly of black people, they would also.

We must all be honest with ourselves in admitting this view of Democracy was not American because it denied certain humans liberty, justice and the pursuit of happiness. Therefore we must call for what it was, which is Anti-American.

So we had two different Presidents with various versions of Democracy, and this is the way it remains today. What made Lincoln a force for good and better President was he put Democracy first and his personal prejudices second, but Washington put his financial interest ahead of true Democracy. This is what set these two men apart. Both were great men with different views about what it meant to be an American on the side of liberty and justice for all.

After Lincoln's death, democracy would take a downward spiral. One of the most biased President in American history led the attack. His name was Andrew Johnson, and he fought against the Civil Rights of blacks tooth and nail. Every favorable bill for former slaves that appeared on his desk was immediately denied. Later, there were new laws created to restrict black American citizens that worked very well. This was called the Jim Crow era. It was an all-out attack on Democracy by Anti-Americans and aided by good white Americans who remained on the fence. Read for yourself.

There's not enough room on this web page to describe the hate and exclusion by government and white Americans against blacks during this period. Jim Crow laws touched every part of life, all across America. Blacks and whites were kept apart as much as possible. Good jobs went to whites; blacks were given the worst with less pay. Many industries wouldn’t hire blacks. Many unions passed special rules to exclude them. All juries and judges were white; blacks were illegally denied voting rights. No blacks allowed in public pools. Many restaurants would not serve blacks, and those that did had a dirty colored section. Blacks and whites went to county fairs on different days. Blacks couldn't use public libraries. Simple common courtesy was rarely shown the blacks. Whites beat, tortured, raped and killed blacks with no fear of punishment. Blacks were denied credit for businesses, housing, cars by the banks. Blacks were kept out of white neighborhoods with housing covenants. Oklahoma had black and white phone booths. Texas had cities where blacks were entirely restricted from living. Blacks could not leave their homes after 10:00 pm in Mobile Alabama. Blacks could not marry whites. Georgia had separate white and black parks. Prisons, hospitals, and orphanages were segregated as were schools and colleges. Blacks and whites had to use separate sets of books in school, in Florida, they couldn't be stored together. When a person was sworn in at a trial, the whites used one Bible, and the blacks had a separate Bible. For those who did complete college, a crucial question had to be answered. Who was going to be their clients? Whites didn't engage blacks in business, and the battered Negro couldn't afford their services. These laws became so entrenched in American life; even unwritten laws affected black citizenship; blacks understood to stay out of white stores and establishments. Segregation was so complete that whites did not see blacks except when being served by them. After the Civil Rights movement of the 60s, blacks have made enormous gains. This is how the United States of America became a polarized country. Each and every President knew what was going on and allowed this illegal activity for 87 years. Were they guilty of not upholding the United States Constitution in the Negroes behalf? Is this the reason why many other nations laugh at America with its constant claims of being on the side of good and high morality?

Did religion made things worse?

Even though the U.S. was not founded as a Christian nation and existed solely as a secular state completely free of religious influence in lawmaking, religion would soon be thrown into the loop. This made American people feel righteous and just in their own eyes. White's beleived they were "good" and made in God's image and blacks were not. In time slogans such as "In God We Trust" were printed on money to describe a people who had snuffed out Democracy, They felt God was on their side and loved only them.

Countless movies, radio shows, newspapers, magazines and other media would consistently portray these Anti-Americans as on the side of good, morally upstanding and righteous to the world with God on their side. Good white Americans had to know this was a farce because of the way it's black citizens were being treated and did nothing.

There were a relative few brave, good white Americans who spoke up during this period and got involved with some even losing their lives, but the majority did nothing. They remained on the fence because they were also partakers of the privileged American way of living and failed to realize how this was undermining true Democracy with the threat of one day being faced with an America they wouldn't recognize.

“Ignorance of how we are shaped racially is the first sign of privilege. In other words. It is a privilege to ignore the consequences of race in America.”Tim Wise

So, what now?

Because of the folly of racism and privilege by Anti-Americans and the lack of action to speak out for true Democracy by good Americans, has our country morphed into another form of power? Something that is completely different than it started out as, perhaps like an insatiable, detestable and ugly monster, without a soul or conscience? You be the judge.

President George W. Bush
photo #107-yr-2000

Barack Hussein Obamaphoto #102-yr-1961

Political Scene in 2004

2004 - George W. Bush served as the 43rd President of the United States from 2001 to 2009. He was elected president in 2000 after a close and controversial election, becoming the fourth president to be elected while receiving fewer popular votes nationwide than his opponent. incumbent Vice President Al Gore was on the losing end.

November 2, 2004 - Barack Obama is elected to the U.S. Senate from Illinois, becoming the second black elected to the Senate from that state and only the fifth African American senator in United States history.

Jamie Foxx
photo #100-yr-1967

Movies in 2004

Movies:

Miss Cast Away and the Island Girls a 2004 American parody anarchic comedy film that features Michael Jackson in his final scripted film performance.

Blaxploitation Films:movies that emerged in the United States in the 1970s targeted for black audiences

Full Clip: made in the graphic novel style.

Award Winners:

2004 - Jamie Foxx for Ray. Best Actor in a Leading Role.

2004 - Morgan Freeman for Million Dollar Baby. Best Actor in a Supporting Role.

January 2, 2004 - Etta Moten Barnett was an American actress and contralto vocalist, who was identified with her signature role of "Bess" in Porgy and Bess.

January 8, 2004 - Charles Brown was a Tony Award-nominated actor and a member of New York City, New York theater troupe the Negro Ensemble Company.

January 14, 2004 - Ron O'Neal was an American actor, director and screenwriter, who rose to fame in his role as Youngblood Priest, a New York cocaine dealer in the 1972 blaxploitation film Super Fly.

February 23, 2004 - Carl Anderson was an American singer, film and theatre actor best known for his portrayal of Judas Iscariot in the Broadway and film versions of the rock opera Jesus Christ Superstar.

April 5, 2004 - Leonard Reed was an American tap dancer, co-creator with his partner, Willie Bryant, of the famous Shim Sham Shimmy (Goofus) dance routine.

May 6, 2004 - Eliza Virginia Capers was an American actress.

May 18, 2004 - Lincoln Kilpatrick was an American film, television, and stage actor.

May 22, 2004 - Richard James "Rick" Biggs was an American television and stage actor, best known for his roles on the television series Days of our Lives and Babylon.

June 4, 2004 - Wilmer Leon Fields was an African American baseball player who was a household name in the Negro Leagues and other baseball circuits between the 1940s and 1950s.

June 10, 2004 - Ray Charles was an American singer, songwriter, musician, and composer who is sometimes referred to as "The Genius".

July 9, 2004 - Isabel Sanford was an American stage, film and television actress best known for her role as Louise "Weezy" Mills-Jefferson on the CBS sitcoms All in the Family (1971–1975) and The Jeffersons (1975–1985).

August 6, 2004 - Rick James was a very popular singer, musician and composer.

August 27, 2004 - Willie Murphy Crawford was a Major League Baseball outfielder who played with Los Angeles Dodgers.

October 17, 2004 - Julius W. Harris was an American actor who appeared in more than 70 movies and numerous television series in a career that spanned four decades.

December 23, 2004 - Wilmer Joseph Harris was an African American pitcher who played in Negro league baseball. Listed at 6' 0", 175 lb., he batted and threw right handed.

Liberty, Justice and Freedom For All

It's true at one time in history; America was intended solely for white people, but not all white people. Most of America's founders desired only the fittest and smartest whites to settle here. The Irish, Italians and many more ethnic groups were considered low-life and not worthy to intermingle with the self-proclaimed superior whites, in fact, they were treated as harshly as the black slaves.

But within the time they changed their views and allowed lower class whites to have an equal say in the building of America, and of course being similar in color made it easy for these different classes to blend in with one another, and in time you couldn't tell the difference. A luxury that was impossible for blacks to attain.

But on the other hand, Black slaves were considered savage beast without the capabilities to learn and contribute to America, other than with their back-breaking labor.

Why did whites feel this way abouts blacks?

Before their arrival to America as slaves, they were very far behind in development and worldly intelligence. There were great African Kingdoms, but they were no match for the ruthless Europeans. African rulers failed to educate their citizens which would have been a huge undertaking because there were thousands upon thousands of different tribes and clans with their distinct language and customs.

Most Africans didn't know how to read and write and would pass their history down from generation to the next orally. They also believed profoundly in superstition and all sorts of foolish beliefs that didn't help them once the Europeans arrived allowing them to ravage and dominate the African populations completely. Whites were very competitive and chose to proclaim themselves superior to the blacks, instead of sharing their knowledge to help these uneducated Africans.

So from the beginning, the Europeans made this a race issue. Africans were so far behind in human development, whites thought very lowly of them, and since they didn't have examples and scientific techniques we have today to prove otherwise they did as they pleased with little protest from the majority of the white population. In fact, most whites believed blacks were half human/beast only because they didn't know any better.

But in time things would change and there would become many free blacks and also blacks in slavery who would achieve against all the odds of racism. Many whites began to realize that blacks were human beings and if given a chance could be just as intelligent as white people. The movement was started to get blacks equality in America to the dismay of hardcore white supremacist who refused to accept this undeniable evidence that all men are equal in ability.

Scientific discoveries would later determine they was no genetic proof that blacks were inferior to other races which would utterly destroy the superior white theory that had been preached for centuries. All that blacks needed was an education and an opportunity to compete and could do just as well as other races.

Although African-Americans were not immigrants but brought here as slaves, they had things in common because they also yearned for liberty, justice, and freedom. In time what made America so great was it realized it was wrong and attempted to change it's view so it could live up to the true meaning of liberty and justice for all.

But this wouldn't be easy because of many white people who refused to change their views and progress to a new era of love and cooperation for all humanity. They choose to live in the past where they enjoyed a comfortable, privileged life without blacks in the loop.

Since the races were compared to an inferior versus superior issue, many centuries ago white superior beliefs may have been a reasonable belief, with the Africans so far behind in human development and Europeans much more advanced. But with the successes of countless black Americans and other dark-skinned people around the world today, racism and hate have become an archaic, unreasonable and ignorant belief.

Simply put, for people who say they love America but hate certain ethnic groups who reside in her are lying to themselves. Their hatred is not based on anything meaningful. They hate America. They're not true Americans and completely fail to understand the real meaning of her and seek to destroy the last great empire in world history.

Andre Louis Hicks (July 5, 1970 – November 1, 2004), better known by his stage name Mac Dre, was an American rapper, and the initial founder of Thizz Entertainment, and the now defunct Romp Production. Hicks was shot and killed November 1, 2004.

Russell Tyrone Jones (November 15, 1968 – November 13, 2004), better known under his stage name Ol' Dirty Bastard(or ODB), was an American rapper and occasional producer. He was one of the founding members of the Wu-Tang Clan. The official cause of death for Jones was a drug overdose.

Famous Weddings in 2004

February 14, 2004 - Solange Knowles and Daniel Smith were wed.

February 14, 2004 - Lil Wayne and Antonia Carter were wed.

February 15, 2004 - Swizz Beatz and Mashonda Tifrere were wed.

April 4, 2004 - Joy Enriquez and Rodney Jerkins were wed.

July 10, 2004 - Dule Hill and Nicole Lyn were wed.

July 12, 2004 - Shane Battier and Heidi Ufer were wed.

September 4, 2004 - Juvenile and Shadonna Jones were wed.

September 19, 2004 - Taye Diggs and Sanaa Lathan were wed.

November 13, 2004 - Star Jones & Al Scales Reynolds were married. Star spent quite a bit on her dream wedding. Some say it was tacky, but Black folks will "do it up" when they can afford and darn it she sure as heck can!

Slaves kidnapped from their homes years ago bascially belonged to tribes. Each tribe was as different as night and day to the next tribe.

They each had their individual languages and customs. So upon arriving in America they had to create a way to communicate with their master and each other, so over time they developed a spanking new and unique language called African American Vernacular English, and it didn't stop there.

Each group had their defined drum beat from their tribe that was added to the new way of life in the New World, but with a new American twist with musical instruments they didn't have in Africa.

So to put it simply, soul or black music is a mixture of many different African beats incorporated into a new American culture. Think about how exciting that is, if it's possible to create anything positive at all from slavery, it has to be African American music. It's admired all over the world.

We all originate from the same place so it doesn't matter if we're listening to early 1900s blues singer "Ma Rainey" or the great 1940s singers "Billie Holiday" and "Nat King Cole" down to the famous rappers of our time such as the two late greats, "Biggie Smalls" or "Tupac", it all sounds good to us because we can feel and hear that beat.

Many cultures have contributed to the American way of life such as German Americans who introduced the Christmas tree tradition, or Italian Americans with their delicious pizza, or Mexican Americans with the tacos and tasty burritos, or the English Americans with their mainstays such as baseball and apple pie. The list goes on and on, and to add to those contributions, and without a doubt, soul music has changed the American way of life, it is truly an original, and one of our many proud contributions to our home here in America.

Soul Train ran from 1971-2006
photo #109-yr-1971

Alicia Keys
photo #100-yr-2002

Jamie Foxx
photo #100-yr-1967

Snoop Dogg
photo #101-yr-2004

Bo Diddley
photo #103

Music in 2004

Billboard Top Soul Hits:

"You Don't Know My Name" Alicia Keys

"Slow Jamz" Twista featuring Kanye West and Jamie Foxx

"Yeah!" Usher featuring Lil Jon and Ludacris

"If I Ain't Got You" Alicia Keys

"Burn" Usher

"Confessions Part II" Usher

"Lean Back" Terror Squad

"Goodies" Ciara featuring Petey Pablo

"My Boo" Usher and Alicia Keys

"Drop It Like It's Hot" Snoop Dogg featuring Pharrell

Popular Soul Dances:

Turfing

Jerkin

Harlem shake

Cat Daddy

Krumping

Gas Pedal

Wop

Ailey

Graham

Dougie

Twerking

Musical Happenings in 2004:

2004 - The first and only rap album to win Album of the Year was by OutKast's Speakerboxxx/The Love Below.

Blues Hall of Fame for 2004:

The Blues Hall of Fame is a music museum located in Memphis, Tennessee. Until recently, the "Blues Hall of Fame" was not a physical building, but a listing of people who have significantly contributed to blues music. Started in 1980 by the Blues Foundation, it honors those who have performed, recorded, or documented blues. The actual building for the hall opened to the public on May 8, 2015

Bo Diddley

Blind Boy Fuller

BET Awards winners in 2004:

The BET Awards were established in 2001 by the Black Entertainment Television network to celebrate African Americans and other minorities in music, acting, sports, and other fields of entertainment over the past year. Actress comedian Mo'Nique hosted the show.

Best Female Hip-Hop Artist

Missy Elliott

Best Male Hip-Hop Artist

Jay-Z

Best Gospel Artist

Yolanda Adams

Best Female R&B Artist

Beyoncé

Best Male R&B Artist

Usher

Best Group

OutKast

Best New Artist

Kanye West

Best Collaboration

Beyoncé feat. Jay-Z – "Crazy in Love"

Video of the Year

"Love of My Life (An Ode to Hip-Hop)"
performed by Erykah Badu feat. Common

Viewer's Choice

Usher feat. Ludacris & Lil Jon – "Yeah!"

Best Actress

Halle Berry

Best Actor

Denzel Washington

Best Female Athlete

Serena Williams

Best Male Athlete

LeBron James

Humanitarian Award

Danny Glover

Lifetime Achievement Award

The Isley Brothers

Grammy winners in 2004:

The 46th Annual Grammy Awards were held on the February 8, 2004 at Staples Center, Los Angeles. They recognized accomplishments by musicians from the previous year. The big winners were Outkast,who won three awards including Album of the Year & Beyoncé Knowles, who won 5 Awards. Tied for the most nominations, with six each, were Knowles, Outkast, and Jay-Z

Album of the Year

Speakerboxxx/The Love Below - OutKast

Song of the Year

"Dance with My Father" - Luther Vandross

Best Traditional Blues Album

Jacquire King (engineer), & Buddy Guy for Blues Singer

Best Contemporary Blues Album

Donto James (engineer/producer), & Etta James for Let's Roll

Best Traditional Soul Gospel Album

The Blind Boys of Alabama for Go Tell It on the Mountain

Best Contemporary Soul Gospel Album

Donnie McClurkin for ...Again

Best Gospel Choir or Chorus Album

Bishop T.D. Jakes (choir director) & the Potter's House Mass Choir for A Wing and a Prayer

Best Jazz Vocal Album

Michael O'Reilly (engineer), & Dianne Reeves for A Little Moonlight

Best Long Form Music Video

Mick Gochanour, for Legend performed by Sam Cooke

Best Boxed or Special Limited Edition Package

Julian Alexander, for The Complete Jack Johnson Sessions performed by Miles Davis

Overview:
The 2000s fashion are often described as being a "mash-up", where trends saw the fusion of previous styles, global and ethnic clothing (e.g. boho), as well as the fashions of numerous music-based subcultures. Hip-hop fashion generally was the most popular among young people, followed by the unisex indie look later in the decade.

Men:
At the very beginning of the decade, the excitement of entering the new millennium had become evident in fashion in the first couple of years, although this was only prominent in nightclub and "going out" attire. Clothing was mostly made in black, though silver was also fashionable. An example of this would be a tracksuit, a dress shirt, a pair of pants, a camp shirt, or a jacket in a fancy metallic pattern for going out; while also compromising of items such as leather coats and pants, puffy vests and jackets, ribbed sweaters and shirts, and chunky dress shoes, usually in futuristic colors such as black, silver, light gray, and white. After the events of 9/11, fashion became more conservative, forgoing the futuristic styles of before. Distressed denim made a comeback, with sandblasted highlights, frosted jeans, ripped jeans, and whiskering becoming commonplace. A lower rise jean had emerged during this part of the decade, effectively getting rid of the high-waisted styles of the 1990s. Light-colored polo shirts (sometimes striped and with collars popped), cargo pants (even ones made out of linen during warmer months), khaki chinos, bootcut jeans, corduroy pants, and rugby shirts. Practical hiking jackets (of the type made by Berghaus), fleeces, puffer jackets, and padded tartan lumberjack-type shirts were worn as winter outerwear along with brown, grey, burgundy, rust, maroon, or forest green turtleneck sweaters, and odd navy blue, stone grey, beige, or natural linen sportcoats that fastened with three buttons. These fashions continued into the mid and late 2000s. Men's Accessories of the early 2000s included white belts, Aviator sunglasses, trucker hats, flip-flops, oxford shoes, argyle socks, sneakers from brands such as Nike, Skechers, Adidas, and Puma, baseball caps (bearing the logos of football, soccer, basketball, and baseball teams), and jelly bracelets.

Youth Fashions:
Youth fashion was strongly influenced by Hip-Hop. The clothing of American hip-hop fans underwent an evolution from the sagging baggy gangster jeans of the late 1990s to a more retro look by the end of the decade. Popular items of clothing included wide leg jeans, baseball jackets,Nike Air Jordans, tracksuits, sweatpants, bucket hats, stunna shades, fur-lined puffer jackets, and flat-brim trucker hats or baseball caps (often retaining the store label). During the early 2000s, many wealthy white jocks and preppies imitated the gangsta lifestyle, eschewing the semi-formal conservative look of the 1980s and 90s in favor of gold bling, expensive designer clothes, sneakers, dark jeans, and sweatpants.

Hairstyles:
For African-American men, the cornrows (popularized by former NBA player Allen Iverson) and buzz cut were a popular trend that continued into the early 2000s.

2004 Tsunami
photo #103-yr-2004

United States Census for African Americans in the 2000s

Mary Seacole
photo #104-yr-1881

Dorothy Height photo #108-yr-1957

Our Community in 2004 Newsworthy Events in the Black Community:

February 4, 2004 – Facebook launches.

December 26, 2004 – One of the worst natural disasters in recorded history hits Southeast Asia, when the strongest earthquake in 40 years, measuring 9.3 on the Richter scale, hits the entire Indian Ocean region, which generates an enormous tsunami that crashes into the coastal areas of a number of nations including Thailand, India, Sri Lanka, the Maldives, Malaysia, Myanmar, Bangladesh, and Indonesia. The official death toll in the affected countries stands at 186,983 while more than 40,000 people are still missing.

Mary Jane Seacole was a Jamaican-born woman of Scottish and Creole descent who set up a "British Hotel" behind the lines during the Crimean War. She was posthumously awarded the In 2004 she was voted the greatest black Briton.

2004 - Dorothy Height awarded the Congressional Gold Medal by President George W. Bush on behalf of the United States Congress (Approved 2003, awarded 2004).

2000s - The United States Population is 281,421,906 with a total of 34,658,190 being African Americans.

We didn't have much of anything back in the day and had to live off the scraps we were given. But like a famous rapper once said in his songs, we knew how to "make a dollar out of 15 cents" Enjoy.

Sweet Potatoes / Yams

Barbecue Ribs

Ham Hocks

Rice and Beans

Fish and Chips

Bean Soup

Biscuits and Gravy

Waffles

Fried Chicken

Cornbread

Collard Greens

Fried Liver

Peach Preserves

Pinto Beans

Pound Cake

Pork Chops

Watermelon

(images - https://pixabay.com/)

Southern Cooking - Soul Food

Have you ever wondered what African-Americans ate back in the day? Well, maybe we can help you with that. We've found the oldest known black cookbook to date.

This cookbook was written by an actual former slave woman that had once lived on a plantation, but gained her freedom with the Emancipation Proclamation moving from Mobile, Alabama to San Francisco, California where she published an entirely excellent collection of 160 authentic and tasty recipes of the Old South entitled;

"What Mrs. Fisher Knows About Southern Cooking"

This book is indeed a rare gemstone with tons of actual recipes that black folks enjoyed back in the day, but Mrs. Fisher cooking wasn't limited to blacks only, many whites also loved her delicious recipes and persuaded her to make a cookbook.

Here is just a sample of some of the southern foods mentioned in her book, and by the way, it wasn't called soul-food until the 1960's.

Directions:
For best results, leave butter and eggs out overnight
Cream butter well, add sugar and mix until butter and sugar look like whip cream.
Beat each egg individually and then add with sugar and butter, mix well for at least a couple minutes.
Add milk and cake flour a little at a time, then add flavorings.
Spray Pam spray on entire round cake pan, and then add cake batter.
Bake about 1 hour and 15 minutes at 325.
Let cake cool for about 30 minutes, and then remove cake from cake pan.

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